From a Female Domestic Worker
Thank you, Dan [Dan Nickerson, International Liberation Reference Person for Working-Class People], for the work you’ve done on behalf of all classes by prioritizing the liberation of the working class and, more recently, that of Direct Production Workers.
I am a woman. I was born and raised in the United States, have Romani heritage, and am a lifelong domestic worker. My job is to care for people in their homes, often during the most vulnerable stages of their lives. I naturally develop deep love for the people I care for. We laugh together, and I hold them as they cry or tremble. I am reminded of the gorgeousness of being alive and how much we need and rely on one another.
Women in the United States have been told that being liberated as a woman means working for pay outside the home. I’ve found that many who identify as “feminist” think that it is beneath them to do domestic work. Many well-meaning upper-middle-class and owning-class women have asked me why I choose to do such “lowly” work. My answer is that domestic work is necessary. It is a collection of tasks that need to be done for humans to live together cooperatively. It is at the center of every society. I’m proud of the heart, time, effort, and sweat I put toward raising young humans, making healthy meals, playing, sweeping the floor, and lifting aging bodies. I think that doing this work is one of the best ways to use our intelligent minds.
Women have taken care of all things domestic for most of human existence. We make family systems work. We nourish those around us with food. We keep homes clean and safe. I think there’s no more important work than this, and I’m proud that women have led it.
Domestic work has historically been excluded from union organizing efforts. Racism, sexism, nationalism, and genocide all play a role in why domestic workers have been “forgotten” and haven’t participated in conversations about supporting workers.
We need to focus on ending capitalism, sexism, male domination, and classism. We need to organize, discharge about, support, and listen to all those who are engaged in direction production work.
USA
Reprinted from the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members
(Present Time 209, October 2022)